According to Cars.com’s American-Made Index ranking, five Toyota and Honda models are included in the top ten and four of the top six, with the Camry and Accord taking the first two spots. The system, according to Cars.com:

Rates vehicles built and bought in the U.S. Factors include sales, where the car’s parts come from and whether the car is assembled in the U.S. We disqualify models with a domestic parts content rating below 75 percent, models built exclusively outside the U.S. or models soon to be discontinued without a U.S.-built successor.

The UAW ought to be reminded that many of the “foreign” cars are as much as if not more American than Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler, not to mention often have greater sales!

However, politicians will only continue to bail out the American automotive manufacturing industry from its abject failures due to the union money laundering scheme.

Comments

Beneichacker

Umm I’m 16 and I’m pretty dam sure ife parts are made here and assembled here means the money from it goes to America not Japan. Do your research before you talk. (:

Benkane

the profit goes to Japan, the workers get their salaries, (so on and so forth) but all profits go back to the corp. office…

Beneichacker

Umm I’m 16 and I’m pretty dam sure ife parts are made here and assembled here means the money from it goes to America not Japan. Do your research before you talk. (:

Benkane

the profit goes to Japan, the workers get their salaries, (so on and so forth) but all profits go back to the corp. office…

Troy La Mana

They still aren’t American cars.

shep

You’re like my stubborn old grandpa who hears but doesn’t listen.

Steve Feinstein

The actual “profit” that any manufacturing concern makes on its products is relatively small, as a percentage of the actual cost of materials/labor/transportation etc. that make up the cost of the item.

So while it’s undeniably true that the profits (or more accurately, a share of them) go “back to Japan,” that is not the relevant part of the discussion.

First, the US subsidiary of the company (US Honda, etc) derives a significant part of the operating profits. The US arm must pay for advertising, marketing, sales expenses, design, etc. That all comes out of so-called “profits,” as it does with any company in any field.

Thousands of Americans are involved in the transportation, servicing, and selling of these vehicles—all American workers.

I remember reading a BLS report a few years ago that said that almost 20% of US workers were actually working for firms owned by foreign parent companies. There is a lot of popular talk about “out-sourcing” these days, what with cheap labor jobs going overseas and many phone-operated customer service positions originating from India, etc.

But “in-sourcing” is more prevalent than “out-sourcing” and generally creates higher-level positions. An industrial design team leader working in CA to style the next-gen Toyota Camry for the US market is a high-level position, with a highly skilled staff of mechanical engineers, model/prototype fabricators, etc. The Marketing and Sales executives who order and direct those activities are high-level people with a complete range of subordinate staff to complete the functions as needed.

Just as important, the U.S. customer benefits from a vastly increased array of choices of quality vehicles.

And lastly, the so-called “American” manufacturers have been pushed by free-market competition into streamlining their operations for greater financial efficiency and far better product quality. The new 2012 Chrysler 300, the Buick LaCrosse, the Ford Fusion, the Chevy Malibu are all high-quality cars, good performers, with vastly improved reliability and safety, etc. They have been pushed to deliver better products by free-market competition, in no small part from the presence of foreign nameplates being manufactured here.

This is all to the good: more high-level US jobs and a better array of choices for the US consumer.

http://scottslant.blogspot.com/ Scott A. Robinson

This is the first time I’ve ever been able to actually agree with every single word from Mr. Feinstein. Well put.

I’d like to also add that if there is a cost to repatriate funds to Japan (which I don’t know if there is), more profit would actually stay in the US.

Our government has such a tax policy, which is why many multi-national companies have foreign operations. This allows them to keep the money out of the US, transferring to other countries if need be, and save on taxes.

shep

You expanded on my earlier point quite well.

Brian H

I LOVE my Honda!!!

JoeW

Volkswagens Rule !!!!!

shep

Built in Chattanooga!

Troy La Mana

It’s not an American car if the profits go to Japan.

shep

You’re right. The workers don’t get paid. The landlord doesn’t get paid. The components providers don’t get paid. The carriers don’t get paid. The warehousing providers don’t get paid. Taxes don’t get paid. Nope. No money at all stays in America.

Troy La Mana

What does that have to do if it is an American car or not?

shep

They are built in America and far more wealth and value are provided to Americans than Japanese. There is profit made on each of those items and many more. But if you don’t consider that “profit”, you can put your head back in the sand.

pdiddy

once again what does this matter about elections and 2012? we want more politics less policy

Alaina

I like the policy posts. Don’t read them if you don’t like them.

pdiddy

oh, well if you like them then they must be great

shep

They are great. Policy is relevant to the candidates. In this particular case, the UAW donates 95% of it political contributions to Democrats, who also promote the Detroit automakers as “American manufacturing”. In reality, the Japanese automakers are at times far more “American”.

Brian H

The site is non-stop 95% politics. Relax, dude.

Alaina

The Toyota Tundras in Texas all have stickers on the back windshield that says “Born in Texas. Made by Texans.” on a Texas flag. There are a lot of people here who will only buy Toyota because they are consistently rated better in Consumer Reports, they hold up better and the engines actually do something when you floor it (to pass someone).

Actually, I would say the Tundra is becoming the most popular truck for ranchers too.